Imagine. Connect. Create.

Calgary is a young, vibrant city; the third most livable in the world and home to more than 120 spoken languages and more than 240 diverse nationalities. To say the possibilities for the city's future are endless is less of a cliché and more of a call-to-action that will require a vast array of perspectives and opinions from experts, creative thinkers, city-builders and engaged citizens across all four quadrants of Calgary. 

Get inspired at Avenue's Future of the City Festival and celebrate the people and places who are building the future of Calgary today. 

April 30th 

Schedule: 

Door open at 5:30

Attendees are invited to view the annual Year End Show exhibition from the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. The exhibition showcases student accomplishments through 3D models, plans and renderings that address social or economic inequality and inspire us to consider resiliency, sustainability and innovative design for the future of Calgary’s downtown. 

Panel Discussions

 6:30 - Downtown Development: what do we need from the downtown of the future?

In this panel discussion, Avenue invites you to consider what we need from downtown in the future as the city and the nature of work changes. Panellists include Maxim Olshevsky, CEO of Astra Group and Peoplefirst Developments, Darshan Tailor, Urban Planner with the City of Calgary and Deeter Schurig, CEO of cSPACE.

 

7:30 - Density and Despair: why does the discussion of housing density still get us so emotional?

In this panel, we consider why the discussion of housing density gets us so emotional. Join panelists Latosia Campbell-Walters, owner of Sparks Planning Group; Dr. Teresa Goldstein, chair of the City planning commission; and Srimal Ranasinghe, managing partner of Hive Developments as we discuss how to grapple with our emotional needs in the discussion of changing neighbourhoods and dealing with the housing crisis.

 

PANELISTS 

Maxim Olshevsky - Astra Group and Peoplefirst Developments

Maxim Olshevsky, CEO of Astra Group and Peoplefirst Developments, brings over two decades of expertise in real estate and construction, with a focus on revitalizing neglected properties. His strategic vision and leadership have been pivotal in transforming multifamily, industrial, and commercial spaces, recognized with awards such as the Business in Calgary Leaders Award, as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Prairies Finalist, and as one of Avenue's Top 40 under 40.

Currently, his primary focus is in converting vacant office towers into affordable, accessible, and energy-efficient multifamily properties, reflecting his commitment to urban revitalization and sustainable development in Downtown Calgary. Through his forward-thinking approach and community-centric mindset, Maxim continues to play a significant role in Calgary's revitalization efforts, embodying the city's journey towards a vibrant future.

 

Darshan Tailor - City of Calgary

Darshan is a city builder and Urban Planner with a Masters in Urban Management & Development, who has worked on various impactful projects including the Green Line LRT, Calgary’s Housing Strategy, and most recently, strategies to support homelessness and downtown initiatives. He is committed to community leadership and education as he serves on the Design Talks Institute board and is a Sessional Instructor at the University of Calgary. Darshan is deeply dedicated to the community in hopes of building a better future for Calgary. 

 

Deeter Schurig - cSPACE

Deeter Schurig is a multidisciplinary designer and passionate leader for city-building. His 20 years of professional practice combines experience in stage design, architecture and project management into an approach for designing, developing and managing space for creative communities to thrive.

Deeter leads the social purpose business of cSPACE to build a network of large-scale, multidisciplinary creative workspaces. Since 2009, his focus has been to develop the award-winning cSPACE Marda Loop, a historic sandstone school converted into a LEED Gold facility. Prior experience includes freelance design work on theatre and opera projects across Canada and abroad.

Deeter has a Masters in Architecture from the University of Calgary and a BFA in Theatre Production and Design from York University. A native Calgarian, Deeter resides here with his creatively-infused family and is pleased that cSPACE captures his passion to develop innovative places that are inclusive, equitable, environmentally responsible and excite the imagination of Calgary.

 

Latosia Campbell-Walters - Sparks Planning Group

Latosia Campbell-Walters, RPP, MCIP, PMP, is the owner and principal planner at Sparks Planning Group, a boutique consulting firm specializing in community development planning. With over two decades of experience in Jamaica and Canada, primarily in Alberta and British Columbia, Latosia is dedicated to fostering inclusive communities and addressing challenges like affordable housing and homelessness. She prioritizes active listening and community-led processes, tailoring services to meet clients' needs, and collaborates on impactful social purpose projects. Embracing the ethos of 'nothing for us without us,' Latosia focuses on building relationships, developing community capacities, and facilitating access to resources.

Latosia holds a Master of Planning degree from the University of British Columbia, is a registered professional planner in Alberta, a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, and a certified Project Management Professional. In addition to her professional pursuits, Latosia serves on non-profit boards and committees, including the Unique Women Foundations International and the Learning City Collective.

 

Dr. Teresa Goldstein - Chair - City Planning Commission

Dr. Teresa Goldstein is a recognized leader in urban planning and housing. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Teresa has a diverse background spanning government and private sectors. For over 20 years, she held multiple roles at The City of Calgary - serving as the Manager of Affordable Housing,  the overseer of The City of Calgary's housing initiatives,  the Manager of Community Planning, and is currently the Chair of Calgary Planning Commission, and the Acting Director of Community Planning. She is an accomplished instructor and for eight years has taught at the University of Calgary- School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. She successfully defended her Doctorate centered on the emotional dimensions of local area planning in June 2023. Teresa's diverse experiences bear testament to her ability to drive growth, uplift lives, and achieve ambitious vision.

 

Srimal Ranasinghe - Managing Partner Hive Developments

Srimal Ranasinghe is managing partner with Hive Developments, a Calgary based urban planning firm. He also consults as engagement and project lead with Sustainable Calgary, a non-profit that works at the intersection of urban development, public health, and systemic sustainability. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Environmental Design from the University of Calgary, and specializes in the areas of public engagement, collaborative design, land use and active travel planning, policy research and strategy. 

From providing addictions and mental health counselling to teens, to researching the experiences of minority groups in navigating the built environment, reimagining and redesigning street and public spaces with community members, and facilitating permit applications for many mixed-use commercial-residential developments, Srimal has a breadth of multi-sectoral experience in the areas of social services, research, urban planning, and real estate development. Projects that he helmed won a Mayor’s Urban Design Award (MUDA) in 2019 and an honorable mention in 2021. 

When he’s not working through governance issues pertaining to the multiple Boards he sits on, Srimal enjoys exploring the great outdoors with his family (preferably on 2 wheels), strumming his guitar, and coming up with terrible puns.

 

Light hors d'oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available for refreshments.